One f if th of girls under 11 have already been on a diet

One in five girls of primary school age have been on a diet, official figures suggest. Research f rom the government equalities Office reveals that as young girls progress through school their body image deteriorates rapidly.

The Body Confidence Progress Report 2015 states that poor body image is a ‘public health problem’ and an ‘equalities issue’ that can limit the opportunities available to women and girls.

It shows one in five girls aged between five and 11 say they have been on a diet, while 87 per cent of girls aged 11 to 21 think that women are judged more on their appearance than ability.

One in six secondary students have even avoided going to school because they f eel bad about their appearance.

The report adds that people with poor body image are more likely to lack self-esteem, making them vul- nerable to peer pressure and depression. They may turn to ‘risky coping strategies’ such as vomiting or purging, abusing alcohol and drugs, crash dieting, smoking to control their appetite and self harming.

Low body confidence has also been linked to low participation in sport. The research shows that 23 per cent of girls aged between seven and 21 don’t exercise because they are unhappy with their body image, while nearly half of girls think getting sweaty is unfeminine.

The figures come after Sport england launched a £10million advertising campaign called This girl Can – which has had more than seven million hits online – to promote women taking part in sport. The Body Confidence report also found nine out of ten adults would like to see a broader range of body shapes shown in advertising and the media. As well as this, nine out of ten teenage girls think statements about girls and women on Tv and in magazines focus too much on what they look like, instead of what they achieve. equalities Minister Jo Swinson told Sky news: ‘We have got the advertising industry to think again about the types of images they show, about how much retouching is appropriate – working with retailers, guidance for teachers, national citizenship service, youth groups.

‘We absolutely need to make sure that children have resilience to deal with the world around them. But we also need to look at the unrealistic imagery that’s there.’

The report adds that there is a strong relationship between poor body image and weight problems.

It states: ‘People with low levels of body satisfaction are more likely to gain weight over time (regardless of starting BMI), whereas those who have higher levels of body satisfaction are less likely to put on weight.’

A third of Scots children are at risk of becoming obese,